The Washington Redskins have notched seven days of training camp, and now it’s time to take a beat and look back at what we’ve learned.
Head coach Jay Gruden and team president Bruce Allen have gotten a chance to see the team they put together over the offseason, so we decided to put together a list of winners and losers from the first week.
Winner: TE Jordan Reed
Reed was almost looked at as an afterthought coming into the 2019 season, as his past two years have been riddled with injuries and underachieving performances. Through the first week, it’s safe to say that he still has a lot left in the tank, and he is preparing for another big year.
While the receiving core needs a little bit of help in the production aspect this season, it looks like Reed will be able to be a mainstay over the middle for whichever quarterback ends up starting. That is if he can stay healthy, of course.
Winner: WR Trey Quinn
Quinn has had quite an NFL career thus far: He was dubbed ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ in 2018, being selected by the Redskins with the final pick in the draft; he finally received playing time near the end of the season and went viral on the internet with a Michael Scarn-themed touchdown celebration, and he now enters the 2019 season as one of the most anticipated receivers on the Redskins roster.
What a ride.
Quinn has shown thus far through training camp that he is up to the task by hauling in impressive one-handed catches and bolstering a new understanding of route-running techniques. The Washington coaches and fanbase are excited about Quinn, and he hasn’t fallen short of expectations thus far.
Loser: OL Ereck Flowers
Washington fans scratched their heads a bit when the Redskins brought in Flowers over the offseason. Once a first-round draft pick, Flowers has largely been seen as a bust since he was bounced out of New York by the Giants, and then discarded by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So far through a week of camp, he has been a bust in Washington as well.
Reports out of camp routinely mention that Flowers has been getting beat on the outside in team periods, and his tendency to bend at the waist and inability to quickly shift his feet has made him a liability on the edge. Luckily, the Redskins just signed veteran left tackle Donald Penn, so Flowers can move inside to the guard position where he is more likely to succeed. One can hope, at least.
Winner: LB Cole Holcomb
Holcomb had the Redskins attention coming out of spring camp after they drafted him late in April, but his level of play and dedication have greatly impressed them so far in training camp.
On Thursday, Gruden raved about how much he likes the young linebacker out of North Carolina and remarked that Holcomb, more than any other player, has shown the desire to learn more about schemes and coverages, often already awake at the team facility watching film at 6 a.m. when Gruden is getting his coffee.
Improved play on the field and a will to learn off of it give the rookie not only a great chance to make the 53-man roster but maybe to see some playing time this year as well.
Loser: Everyone in the Trent Williams Debacle
It doesn’t take a deep knowledge of the Trent Williams situation to declare it a bummer for both sides. Williams, a seven-time pro bowler, just wants to play football, and his dedication and love to the Redskins organization have always been apparent.
On the other side, Washington wants to be able to trot out their best player and have him perform on Sundays. He still has two years left on his deal, and though he has battled several injuries over the past few seasons, there is still a lot of confidence that he has something left to give at the age of 30.
Whether or not the whole situation will be resolved before the regular season is yet to be seen, but a blockbuster trade serving as an endpoint is starting to look more and more possible. There is a way to look at a potential trade and find winning outcomes for both Williams and the Redskins, but the holdout as a whole has gone far to splinter a once-strong relationship and hurt some feelings along the way.
